"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1Corinthians 13: 4-8,13
Love is a choice.
Love is putting other's needs before yours.
Love is required.
God calls us to love each other.
Where there is love there is hope.
-Words from Pastor TJ's sermon on Sunday, February 15, 2015
Marriage is a God-given gift. A gift given out of pure, sacrificial love. When our marriages are centered on the one who gave us this gift it becomes a gift to family, friends, acquaintances, and to those who just pass through your lives. It becomes a legacy of love; we leave behind the example of God's sacrificial love. A God-centered marriage does not mean an easy, no-brainer marriage. Marriage is work. A God-centered marriage is a choice just like love is a choice. There are highs and there are lows in a marriage. There are days when happiness fills your heart and your spouse is the greatest on the earth; they can do no wrong. But then there are days of sorrow, struggles and even days when your spouse has disappointed you. It hurts the worst when someone you love and trust so dearly disappoints you even just a little. But we are all human and we are not perfect. Marriage is a life-long learning journey. Marriage requires trust and faithfulness in your promise to stand by each other every step of the way. Whether that walk is a joyful, hand-in-hand stroll down a paved, level, beautifully-tree-and-flower-lined path, or a carry each other's load, pick each other up, strenuous hike down a hilly, sun-scorched, in-the-middle-of-nowhere path. As long as you are faithful in seeing it through you will come out at the other end and your marriage will be stronger for it, and you will leave this amazing legacy behind for others to follow. So, don't be embarrassed for others to see some of your struggles. We all have them. Be sure to be faithful to see it through so others will have that hope and encouragement for their own times of struggles.
"Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. the Lord will in deed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps." Psalm 85: 10-13
We had an all day marriage seminar at our church, Hope Crossing; The Art of Marriage. It was a day filled with inspiring stories, great reminders and humor. I heard comments of couples walking away from the day blessed by the event, of heart-felt conversations between spouses brought on by the event, and some walking away wanting more.
I know for me personally, I wish that we would of had more time. We had moments in the day to break off into private corners of the church to work on projects in our books; a time of intimate sharing between spouse. Well, time is a hard thing to control and we were left with a very small amounts of it to do our projects. Jerry and I felt too rushed to do them so we decided that we would do them on our own as we find time to sit down together. It is my prayer that we don't let life cause us to forget to do these projects. I was however very convicted to do some sharing with Jerry and made sure that conversation happened before we went to bed that night. I always find it difficult to share things with my husband. I don't want to be the cause of anything negative in our marriage. But it is a silly fear that I have because when I do finally open up to him we have wonderful conversations.
We have had our share of struggles, mostly brought on by my battle with depression. I become very self-centered and very needy. I get disappointed easy and then I withdraw. I rationalize, blame and come up with excuses for my behavior. I very rarely voice any of this to him, and I have my "legitimate" reasons why. My unwillingness to open with him has caused him pain. And here is where I need to brag about my husband. He has never stopped loving me. He does the best that he can everyday to be the husband I need him to be. I have always known the importance of open, honest, trust-filled, loving conversations between husbands and wives. This weekend I experienced a true example of why. The more open you are with each other the more you learn about and understand each other. Saturday night, Jerry voiced to me in pretty good detail what I have been feeling with my personal battles. I have been told by many that they understand, and I have been given loads of advice and loads of love, and I appreciate everyone and every effort. But no one has ever been able to share their understanding of me like my husband did the other night. O the peace that brought to my heart. Intimacy is letting someone into a part of your life that no else gets to be a part of. Of course God has to be in every detail. He is whether you want him to or not. But you need to want him to and let him work because he will give you such wonderful gifts and blessings. He is the best friend you will ever have. Next to that, for those who are married, it has to be your spouse. There has to be this special bond, trust and intimacy that is experienced with no one else but your spouse. I have not always been faithful with that order and for that I am sorry. But every breath brings a fresh start. Thank you God!
Gift List:
February 13, 2015
50. Beautiful tokens of love.
February 15, 201551. Strong, God-blessed marriage.
52. A love legacy in the making.
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